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Josephine Ackerly
Physical Description Jo is 5'2'' with shoudler length brownish-red hair and blue eyes. She is an epitome of a country girl, claiming neither beauty or ugliness. She looks like a common girl with common features which has proved to be a great tool. '' Hobbies and Personality Jo is an extremely talented cook. Growing up with an army of siblings to care for, she had to learn to not burn water, if nothing else. Most of her cooking is self-taught, the result of a great deal of trial and error. However, she was able to gain some knowledge from some of the village women who took pity on her. She also learned how to make sassafrass tea and cornbread from Itanale, an old Chickasaw man who helped her raise her siblings. Consequently, Jo has become adept at making the best out of very little and could probably make you a custard pie out of an old shoe. Jo's chief obsessions are history and foreign culture. Being somewhat raised by Itanale made her realize that the mainstream view of other cultures was basically flat out wrong. Thus, she was adamant about respecting other cultures and what they could teach her. Jo has a great passion for learning all she can about ancient cultures and tries to protect history from treasure collectors and those lacking knowledge, wisdom and respect. Jo has a slight crush on Thomas Jefferson and wishes she was born 100 years earlier so she could met him. This is mostly due to his archaeological work. While excavating some ancient mounds on his property, he was able to overlook the popular belief that the Moundbuilders were a supreme white race massacred by the 'savage Indians’ and form his own theory. Family and Relationships In 1838, young newly-weds Thomas and Sarah Ackerly moved out to Greenville, Kentucky in an attempt to start a new life. Thomas's father, Samuel Ackerly had been a teacher working for Sarah's upperclass family in Lexington.While Sarah fell in love with Thomas, one driving force was the idea of fleeing the constaints of her tight-laced family. Thomas Ackerly was the youngest son of eight, and thus had no chance of inheriting. When Sarah's parents would not allow them to marry, they eloped. Thomas found work in the nearby mines. Digging for coal was not Tom's dream job, but it allowed him to support a family and buy some land from a widow whose husband died from TB. Sarah picked up a small jobs as a scribe here and there until she became pregnant with their first child. The couple had a total of six childern until Sarah died in 1860 from cholera while pregnant with their seventh child. Rebecah, their youngest, died along with her mother at the age of 1, leaving Thomas with five children and no wife. Jo also has some surviving relatives through her mother, but relations with that side of the family are tense. Romantic Relationships: Jo is probably heterosexual but has not had much experience either way. There is a chance the mainstream attitudes of Victorian society have had some sway, but she is also well versed in other cultural beliefs throughout history. Any book describing some of the more interesting portrayals of sexuality––and thus deemed unsuitable to female eyes––draws Jo's interest just for the fact it is withheld from her. This occasionally caused problems when others caught her which such “dirty” books. Friends: Lori- A great friend and one of the main people Jo feels like she can trust. Lori fit in as much as Jo did at the university––which is to say, not at all. Both grow up a little off key and did not play society’s tune. While Lori came from a wealthy family and did not know the same hardship, they somehow became the best of friends. Sometimes Lori reminds Jo of her quiet and adorable sister that she needs to protect but Lori also has shown Jo how to have fun and enjoy herself. Sigrid- Simone- Sorin- Jo does not take Sorin very seriously. While, she respects his skill in the field, he kind of reminds her of her younger brother pouting on the rooftop. Francois- Jo does not really know what to think of Francois. Svetlana- Cateryn- Job and Weapons Job: Culture Research and Analyst Gun preference: Josephine has some knowledge of a Kentucky Percussion Rifle she used to protect their land from predators and to hunt. She can use a revolver if she needs to. Other Weapon Preference: Jo learned some archery from Itanale, and prefers it to her rifle. It is a great deal quicker and easier to make the projectiles. She can also use a knife to some degree from her time cooking and preparing game. One time Itanale showed Josephine how to use an atlatl (spear thrower), but after she nearly hit a farmer, he stopped. Backstory Thomas Ackerly was unprepared for his wife’s death and did not know how to raise his family. Most of his time was spent in the mines. In truth, he was just afraid to face his children, never knowing what to say to them or how to act around them. He knew what to do in the mines and what to expect there. Jo grew up pretty quickly, having to help around the house and take care of her younger siblings. In 1861, her older brother Thomas Jr. rushed off to fight for the Union in the American Civil War. That was the last time anyone in his family saw him. Only a year after that, her father died in a coal mining accident, leaving Jo alone with her three younger siblings. Now accustomed to taking care of her siblings on her own, Jo still had to make up for the lost income her father provided. Itanale, an old Chickasaw man who could not bring himself to leave his homeland, helped the young Josephine to the best of his ability and filled Jo's life with amazing stories. Itanale's help, coupled with the pity of the townswomen, allowed the Ackerly family to survive. However, this all quickly changed when the American Civil War crawled to their land. Unable to protect their home, Jo and her family accompanied Itanale on a trip to Lexington, where they were able to stay with the late Sarah Ackerly's parents. Here, Jo was able to go to the local school for women, the only one in Kentucky that taught women the same subjects as men. She excelled, especially in anything related to history or culture. Jo had grown up right in the middle of two battling cultures. The world of the North, dependent on change and the growing race of technology, and that of the South, wrapped in tradition and balanced on the back of slavery. All the while, Itanale filled her head with stories of his people and culture. She wanted to know why people so similar could believe such different things. At the age of 20 she was able to get a scholarship for Columbia, which had only just decided to accept women. While her family did not care too much for the idea, they had her sister to marry off and Jo was a handful they would rather not have to deal with. Thus, with many tears she left her younger siblings in Lexington and headed out on her journey. Related Articles The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Related Links *http://www.facebook.com/UngentlemanlyWarfare *http://ministryofungentlemanlywarfare.tumblr.com/ Category:Original Characters